Your vehicles top items you really need to pay attention to in the Southwestern part of the US. These items are the most popular to fail or leave you in a bad spot along side of the roadways. Desert Vehicle Check Up Services are super important to your safety and over all reliability in the Desert Environments.
Battery
Heat kills your battery life faster than cold temperatures. Top reason for battery failure are usually due to excessive heat over time, batteries just don’t last as long in excessive heat climates. Heat causes the fluid inside the battery to evaporate and causes damage to the cells inside the battery’s compartments.
Some batteries are service-free, which means you can’t had fluid back into the battery to replace what was evaporated, so don’t try to pop off the caps. If you have a serviceable battery, there are usually two long caps on the top of the battery. YOU MUST wear eye protection and gloves, the fluid is very dangerously acidic. You can, shine a light inside and look for fluid, once you get the caps off. If you can’t see any signs of fluid, the battery is running dry. You can put tap water or distilled water inside the battery, fill it to the top and be careful of not overflowing it. Make sure to replace the caps firmly.
Also make sure to check for corrosion on the battery posts/wires to the battery. IF you see a white cake looking powder, take some baking soda and water mixture and apply to the corrosive material and clean it off, making sure you have rubber glove protection.
Tires
Simply put, just take a quick 10 second walk around your vehicle before you get in to drive it. Could be the best 10 seconds you take. Tire wear and tire pressure are important. Keep an eye out for side wall damage, tread wear and low pressure problems. These all lead to the vehicle’s safety under all kinds of road conditions. Tires are probably the most important item to pay attention to on your vehicle. Keep them properly filled, balanced and rotated and you can get the maximum wear/mileage out of them. Since they can be pricey, take good care of them.
Air Filter
Your vehicle’s air filter is an important part of the vehicle’s performance, because the engine “breathes through the air filter.” Each vehicle’s engine needs an exact mixture of fuel and air in order to operate correctly, and all of the air enters the system through the air filter first.
The air filter, filters out dirt particles in the air and prevents those particles from entering the engine cylinders. Air filters are normally made of paper with a rubber gasket around the perimeter. If the air filter goes too long without being changed, it will get dirty and prohibit the engine from drawing in air to the cylinders causing the engine to bog down or lose some or most of it’s power and efficiency/gas mileage. If you can’t change it for financial reasons, at least take it out and power blow air to clean it out and replace.
Coolant
Many areas of the US refer to this lime green fluid as anti-freeze. In Southwestern US freezing temperatures are basically few. So in this part of the US, it is referred to as coolant, but all the products are sold as a dual purpose of being anti-freeze and coolant.
This is an easy do yourself check point. All newer vehicles have a plastic reservoir with a fill line. There are “hot fill” and “cold fill” lines. A cold engine, is an engine that has not been running at all or for a very short period and is basically cool to the touch. A hot engine is still hot and giving off a large amount heat. So, if the engine is hot, refer to the “Hot Fill” line and when the engine is cold, refer to the “Cold Fill Line”.
IMPORTANT to always wait until the engine is cool, before removing the radiator cap or Fill Cap to the reservoir when adding coolant. Because your could get splashed in the face with hot coolant.
Coolant is usually sold in gallon jugs in every automotive section of department stores and auto parts stores. It is recommended to dilute the coolant with water, because 100 coolant may not be a requirement from your manufacturer. Always check what they recommend in your owners manual.
Keep an eye on your dashboard gauges and lights for engine/water temperature. Does not hurt to pop the hood and physically check the coolant reservoir Cold Fill Line.
Big G Auto has the diagnosis equipment to handle your Desert Climate Vehicle Services at a competitive price in Nevada communities of Henderson, Green Valley, Tuscany, Lake Las Vegas, MacDonald Ranch, Anthem and Boulder City.
Call Today for your Desert Vehicle Appointment. (702) 564-4302
Thank you for considering us for your next Desert Vehicle Check Up!
Big G Auto Team
George (Big G)
